Then Didn't I Get Beaten Up for Nothing?

Hearing Han Chen introduce himself, Hai Bodong conjured a piece of ice in his hand and kept toying with it, an unreadable gleam flashing through his eyes.

"Oh? Since when did Nalan Jie have another grandson-and a grand-disciple of that old bastard Yun Shan, at that? What do you want with me? Don't tell me you've come to follow your grandmaster's example and sponge off me."

Hai Bodong spoke half in jest, but no one present could bring themselves to laugh. They all knew he was testing them.

Han Chen removed his disguise, revealing his true face. Since Xiao Yan had already seen through him, there was no point in hiding anymore.

Instead, he could use this opportunity to test a suspicion he had.

"You give me too much credit, Elder Hai. I'm only a Dou Shi right now. Challenging a Dou Emperor would be rather unrealistic. I only came to the Tagor Desert to find something."

When Xiao Yan heard that Han Chen had also come looking for something, his brows lifted slightly. What was there in the Tagor Desert? Heavenly Flames, of course. Could Han Chen be after Heavenly Flames too?

"Heh, am I supposed to take your word for it? I've been hiding for so many years... Let me put you to the test."

Hai Bodong changed his tune. After a brief pause, his initially cold, mocking tone softened considerably.

It wasn't that he had gone soft or believed Han Chen. He had simply remembered that the Misty Cloud Sect had a sixth-tier Alchemist, Gu He. Perhaps helping them obtain Heavenly Flames really could save him.

That was why Hai Bodong had changed his tune. First, Han Chen had indeed mentioned the Poison-Breaking Pill, which was exactly what he needed. He had been trapped for so many years that he refused to abandon even the slightest hope.

The second reason was naturally Yun Shan. Rumors that the old fellow had broken through to Peak Dou Emperor had spread years ago. If he still hadn't died after all this time, he might well have reached Dou Zong. Even if he hadn't, he was still beyond what Hai Bodong could afford to provoke in his current state.

As soon as Hai Bodong finished speaking, he lunged forward, moving so fast that none of the three could react.

"Little Yanzi, what are you spacing out for!"

At that moment, Yao Lao's slightly anxious voice rang out.

It snapped Xiao Yan back to his senses, and he hurriedly raised his massive ruler. Han Chen was just as quick. The instant he raised his hand, countless gold-devouring insects flew out from within his robes, forming a storm that surrounded him and Qing Lin.

"What is this!"

"What is this?"

Hai Bodong had intended to take Han Chen down in a single strike. After all, a Dou Ling beating a Dou Shi should have been as easy as lifting a hand, especially with his wealth of combat experience.

Yet Han Chen had completely defied convention. Weren't they supposed to exchange Dou Techniques, one from him and one from his opponent?

Why did you release so many flies all at once? Now I can barely find an opening.

So Hai Bodong retreated first, condensing several pieces of ice in his hand and launching a probing attack.

The result, however, far exceeded his expectations. The moment the ice entered the gold-devouring insects' attack range, the swarm devoured it without leaving a scrap.

"These insects can actually devour Dou Qi?"

Hai Bodong looked at Han Chen, genuinely finding him troublesome now. Xiao Yan, standing off to the side, was also stunned by the gold-devouring insects Han Chen possessed.

Smiling, Han Chen summoned the Tiandu Corpse Fire and waved to Qing Lin beside him.

"Qing Lin, go wait off to the side for a while. I'll spar with Elder Hai."

"But, Teacher..."

Hearing Han Chen's words, Qing Lin looked at him with concern. She also felt inferior because of her own weakness.

"It's fine. Elder Hai is only sparring with me. Go on."

Qing Lin nodded and walked to a corner, craning her head to watch the three men.

When Hai Bodong saw Qing Lin and sensed the familiar aura around her, a flicker of distraction crossed his eyes.

"The Snake-People Tribe's bloodline... Aren't you afraid I'll kill her?"

After that momentary lapse, Hai Bodong sneered.

"Ice Emperor Hai Bodong is proud and untamed, but he honors his word and has a heart full of integrity. I don't believe a man like that would kidnap a little girl just to win."

"Hahaha! Good, I like you, boy. Once this fight is over, that Fragment Map is yours, win or lose."

"Hey! What about me?"

Xiao Yan immediately grew anxious at those words. You're giving him the Fragment Map after beating me up too? Then didn't I get beaten up for nothing?

"Don't worry. I still have another small piece on me. I'll give it to you afterward."

As he spoke, he pushed off with his rear foot and charged at the two again. A wall of ice formed before him and swept straight toward them.

Xiao Yan and Han Chen exchanged a glance before meeting the attack. The Amethyst Flame on Xiao Yan's massive ruler surged, while Han Chen drew the Golden Aphid Mother-and-Son Blades, coated in Tiandu Corpse Fire.

Meanwhile, all the gold-devouring insects flying around the room rushed toward the ice wall.

Seeing the gold-devouring insects approach, Hai Bodong curled his lips and flicked a finger. Spikes of ice suddenly erupted from the ground, bursting one after another as they neared the insects.

Hai Bodong's eye was exceptionally keen. That brief exchange had been enough for him to discover the gold-devouring insects' weakness.

Although these insects could devour Dou Qi and Dou Techniques, that didn't mean they were indestructible. Attacking them directly would be difficult, since their collective defense was hard to breach.

But if he waited for the gold-devouring insects to approach before triggering an instantaneous explosion, the resulting damage could severely wound them even if it didn't kill them.

The effect was indeed just as he expected. Han Chen had plenty of gold-devouring insects, but they weren't particularly strong. Many hadn't even undergone a transformation yet; they merely looked intimidating.

Thus, when they encountered Hai Bodong's attacks, quite a few were blown apart outright.

But the one thing Hai Bodong hadn't accounted for was that Han Chen didn't care in the slightest.

These were merely cannon fodder he had bred in batches. He had kept only a thousand true breeding seeds, and those were the ones he intended to cultivate as his main force.

So after seeing Hai Bodong blast the gold-devouring insects to death, Han Chen merely recalled those with some value. The remaining basic gold-devouring insects continued charging forward heedless of death.

"Madman. To squander such extraordinary insects without a care for the cost."

At the sight, Hai Bodong stopped holding back. Pieces of ice shot from his hands one after another like cannonballs.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Seeing the ice before him, Xiao Yan swept his massive ruler horizontally. Scorching flames surged out, melting all the ice.

Han Chen moved even faster, his footwork carrying him around the ice wall as he raised the Golden Aphid Mother-and-Son Blades and slashed down viciously.

"Myriad Flower Ice Crystals."

Attacked from two sides, Hai Bodong hurriedly changed tactics. He first blocked Han Chen's attack, then charged toward Xiao Yan, who possessed only the strength of a Dou Zhe.

Compared with Han Chen, the weaker Xiao Yan was treated as the soft persimmon ripe for squeezing.

The moment the Myriad Flower Ice Mirror appeared, Han Chen was completely blocked. Hai Bodong withdrew from him without difficulty and appeared before Xiao Yan.

Since this was only a sparring match, Hai Bodong had no intention of using any highly destructive Dou Techniques. He simply attacked with casually conjured ice.

"Little Yanzi, watch out!"

"It's too late. He's too fast. So this is a Dou Huang expert..."